Sunday, 27 January 2013 http://hannah-thompson.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/blindness-in-fiction-4-reprobate-katla.htmlBlindness in Fiction 4: Reprobate: A Katla Novel It is notoriously difficult for non-blind writers to depict blind characters in fiction. Although anyone can close their eyes and imagine blindness for a few minutes, living in a world where sight has lost its meaning is incredibly hard to imagine. For this reason, blind characters in fiction are relatively rare. Where they do exist, they are either secondary and therefore always described from someone else's point of view (as in Adrian Mole) or evil and not described sympathetically at all (as in Ratburger). Like Star Gazing which I blogged about last April, Reprobate is a novel of shared viewpoints, in which a blind character, Bram, plays a crucial role.

When the reader first encounters Bram, it is easy to mistakenly think that he is nothing but a fascinating plot device. We initially encounter him just after assassin Katla has finished a job. When he interrupts her as she is cleaning up the crime scene, her first instinct is to kill him, as she normally would an 'additional' who might later be able to place her at the scene. But when Katla realises Bram is blind she decides to spare him. Her reasoning is that he poses no threat to her because he will never be able to make a positive identification of her.

Katla, like most sighted people, imagines at first that a world without sight is a world of darkness and confusion. But Bram is not the kind of passive, low-functioning blind person who is frequently found in fictional representations. Unlike the blind man in Amelie, for example, he is always well aware of his environment. He picks up clues from the sounds, smells and atmospheric conditions he senses and is never described as having a lesser experience of life because of his blindness. This is wonderfully demonstrated in the scenes, such as the episode in the diner at the beginning of the 'Luncheonette' chapter, which are told through his perspective. In these scenes, the author focuses only on what Bram can hear, touch and sense. But the reader nonetheless gains a complete understanding of the scene. In fact until you look closely at the language of the scene, you probably won't even notice the absence of visual clues. Bram's presence in the novel, and the part he takes in its narration, brilliantly shows that sight is not essential to a full and happy existence. Bram is clever, funny, sexy and sporty. In fact very soon the story becomes so gripping that the fact of his blindness would easily be forgotten if it weren't for the detail with which the narrator describes the practicalities of his life.

If you want to know what it is like to be a blind person living in a sighted world, then you should read this book, especially if you enjoy complex and multi-layered thrillers with unexpected twists and a truly triumphant ending.

Review on The Good, The Bad, The Bizarre:SUMMARY A secretive assassin, Katla, is hired to kill a man in the Netherlands, but in the process is interrupted by a blind man. On a whim, she allows him to live, despite the fact that he is a potential witness. She then proceeds to play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with him throughout the city, brushing ever closer toward the one thing that has always eluded her: an actual human relationship. After all, it’s difficult to relate to people when you’re a heartless killer. Meanwhile, Deborah, a DEA agent who is recovering from a harrowing ordeal, is offered a job in the Netherlands. An American soldier overseas has overdosed on heroin, leading the higher-ups to suspect a drug ring targeting the military. Deborah is assigned to apprehend the culprits, but she doesn’t know that a mole is feeding important secrets to the members of the drug trade… who, concerned over the DEA’s new plans, decide to hire a certain assassin to take care of their problems… Thus begins a convergence of two lives, as Deborah the law-woman and Katla the assassin slowly encircle one another, their plot lines tangling as the two protagonists’ interests intersect. But the members of the drug ring have machinations of their own, and events soon leave the reader questioning: Who here is the predator and who is the prey?THE GOOD…1) Awesome beginning We begin with a cold-blooded assassin doing what she does best: kill people. She uses, of all things, a samurai sword. YES. Awesomeness abounds.2) Strong female characters Did we mention that this book has two female leads? Both Deborah and Katla were interesting, fully fleshed-out characters, and it was a real treat for us to read a story that held its two female leads in such high esteem. We also liked how the two of them often mimicked each other. We’re not sure if this was intentional or not, because these moments were often subtle: for example, when Deborah practices shooting, in the next chapter Katla goes gun-shopping. If these occasional correlations weren’t intentional, then there was quite a lot of serendipity going on, and it was fun to see regardless. We liked them both so much that at times it was hard to decide who to root for more. Aside from this, there are also plenty of other interesting characters throughout the story. The most special of these is the blind man, Merleyn, who has an internal depth of character that will often surprise the reader. And, speaking of Merleyn…3) The blind man and the killer This was a wonderful combination. Being blind, Merleyn cannot identify Katla on sight, and this would make him seem less dangerous to her. However, being blind also gives him a very specific skill set–smell, hearing, touch, motion sensing–that actually proves much more perilous to her than if he was an ordinary person. She does not seem to recognize this because of his handicap, and thus allows him to get far too close to her. Merleyn therefore becomes one of the most important characters in the story. We really enjoyed the interplay between the assassin and the blind witness. It was fun to watch as they grew closer, to be continually surprised how well they interacted on a personal level, and to discover new aspects of them both as they forged their relationship. At several points, we even came to ask ourselves: who between them is crazier? We normally don’t like romances, but this hit in just the right ways, so we give it two thumbs up.4) Creepiness and suspense This story has action, but we were more impressed by its ability to hold us in suspense. The tension in many scenes so palpable that we kept on reading far too late into the night, just to see what happened next. The assassin, Katla, has just the right level of creepiness that anyone can tell she is a psychotic. She seriously stalks a blind man after deciding not to kill him; who does that but a crazy person? At one point, the narrator even informs us that “She didn’t want to kill him yet.” Our response while reading: SAY WHAT? Did the room’s temperature just drop five degrees? We would say more, but we worry that would spoil some of the most fun elements in the plot, so just take our word for it: suspense is this story’s strong suit.5) Netherlands geography The book gives a definite sense of being in the Netherlands–at least, to someone who hasn’t been there, like us. Given that the book was written by someone living there, this makes sense. Still, with the constant little details and references to places and locales, we began to get the feel of the land and to enjoy picturing the characters on our mental map. At times, it was almost as if the geography became a character in its own right.6) Fun details A character pushes “her sunglasses into her hair like a tiara.” Another character walks into a bar and is “enveloped instantly by a warm noisy blanket of air.” At one point, a man’s head “exploded in a cloud of blood.” As the above examples demonstrate, this book has a definite propensity to delight with the occasional turn of phrase or intriguing image. It doesn’t clutter up the pages with overly long descriptions, and at times is relatively sparse, but when these little details are added in then it becomes amusing and pleasant to read. Whenever we encountered these little gems, we smiled. We’re betting anyone else would, too.THE BAD…1) Character blitz There’s a point, around 50 pages in, when there’s a half-dozen characters introduced in around two pages. This is the most obvious example, but there are other cases of the same or similar. Every so often, there will just be too many characters on the page; too many names flying by, too many people to remember, too many cooks in the kitchen. For the most part, however, the story does manage to keep its focus narrow on a small subset of characters. Only occasionally does it have too many characters on the page, and these are often balanced out by trying to focus on only one or two of these many characters at a time (say, there’s a half-dozen names being bandied about, but only two are important in that scene). This makes such scenes bearable, but only slightly.2) Why does Katla like Merleyn? We know, we know. Up above we said that we liked the interplay between the killer and the blind man. But, along with the good, there was also the bad: sometimes it went a little far. When their relationship becomes a little more romantic, at first we had a little trouble accepting this. What could possibly get this psycho killer to suddenly like this blind man? A little more time passes in the plot, and we’re willing to accept this new layer in their relationship, simply because their interpersonal interaction was so engaging. These characters are both limited in their own way, and it was interesting to see them find their way to each other. We just wish it could have been smoothed out a little more in a few small places.3) Not a complete story The story is full of interesting moments, but it is only the first in a series (fortunately, two other books of the series have also been published, so interested readers don’t have to wait). Some people might like that this is a longer story, one that lasts for several books, and that it leaves a good set-up for the next book at the end. However, we prefer when a book contains a story of its own. Of course, that’s just personal taste; your mileage may vary.THE BIZARRE…1) Parrots are awesome One of the characters has a parrot that imitates the sounds of an angry dog whenever someone enters the home. This is awesome. We found the use of the parrot interesting, based on what else we knew about this character and her interactions with other human beings. The parrot was almost like a substitute friend for someone who cannot relate to other people. We thought using it in this way was a good choice because it revealed a lot about her without having to tell us this stuff directly.2) Ninja blind man There’s a blind man. He’s really good at self defense and calm under pressure, and he also knows a lot of Japanese-related stuff. This is also awesome. (Though, regrettably, he is not an actual ninja.)3) “Life without risks is like a burrito without Tabasco. Bland, but you’ll still fart.” This is only a brief line in the book, but it sums up a lot of the characters’ actions and motivations. It is also our new motto. We really enjoyed reading about characters who were willing to live on the wild side, and who were shown to have motivations that satisfied our skepticism that people would act so crazily. Most of the time, when a character in this story does something strange or uncanny, there is a justifiable reason behind this aspect of their personality.…AND THE VERDICT:This book is GOOD. It’s an impressive set of writing, plot, and suspense. If you like foreign settings, police procedurals, and insight into the criminal mind, then this is a definite plus. This story would most interest: 1) Fans of police procedurals and investigations. This book shows the story from all sides: the authorities, the drug ring, and the killer all have their POV shown and fleshed out. So if you’re into “crime” stories, this would be your piece of cake. 2) People who enjoy the crazies. If you like reading or watching stories about the psychos, then this is for you. Katla is beautifully twisted, and there are also a number of other characters who deserve to be in therapy. Not that therapy might help them, though… 3) People who like thrillers and suspense. There wasn’t much mystery in the story–it was told from everyone’s POV, so we know who did what and why–but this did not lower our suspense any. We cared enough about the characters to worry when something happened to them, and were still surprised whenever they did something unusual, which was cool. Caveat: if you haven’t guessed it already, there’s violence. There’s also sex heavily implied, though mostly of the “fade to black” variety. And drugs. Oh, and did we mention violence? Yeah. Lots of violence. C’mon: the series is called the “Amsterdam Assassin Series.” All in all, an entertaining read. The occasional action scene left a real punch, while the suspense kept us on our toes throughout. We give special kudos to this author’s ability to depict people’s relationships. We hope to see this author grow and tackle and even better story next time.

Katla is a professional assassin for hire, specializing in hits that
can't be traced. When the novel begins, she is taking out the owner of a
shop selling antique Japanese swords, with his own merchandise, when
she is interrupted by a blind man who has come to pick up his order.
Katla has a firm policy of not allowing witnesses to her hits to live,
but Bram is blind, and totally sexy. She lets him go, but can't seem to
stay away from him. So begins an unlikely but fascinating partnership.
How will a cold-blooded killer and a pacifist musician find any common
ground?

Meanwhile, American DEA agents are brought to Amsterdam
to help IPOL break up a drug ring run by a local gang. Katla is
unwittingly drawn in to a law enforcement sting operation by a
double-crossing client. There is some gory violence as Katla carries out
her hits, but the emphasis is firmly on procedure: descriptions of guns
and knives, techniques, and the autopsies and forensics afterward.

But of course, Devo Girl was way more interested in Bram. He is a
terrific character, very realistic and SUPER devvy. He's well-adjusted
and capable, but
not superhuman. He plays the saxophone, practices shiatsu on the local
yakuza, and studies aikido. He's just the right combination of strong
and vulnerable, and it's oh so sexy. And Katla pursues him with the
single-minded obsession of a dev. His blindness and the scars on his
face and eyes make him more sexy to her. It's awesome.

There is also a second blind character who shows up in a small but great
scene. And another character who is a DAK amputee, but that is very
minor.

I also like that Katla is a tough, strong woman who
doesn't have trauma or abuse in her past. She's just good at what she
does. It's quite a trick to get the audience to root for the killer and
the police equally, but the author pulls it off. The Dutch setting is also unusual and interesting. I'm looking forward to
the next books in the series.

ETA: The sequel, Peccadillo, is even better than the first volume. A lot more Bram, too!

A great story, with a strong female lead. Being an assassin is a choice for Katla; she's kick-ass and high-octane. -ElleLainey (Reviewer)

Genre(s):
Action & Adventure, Crime

The Low Down Skinny:
I loved the focus on Katla and Bram, even when they weren’t directly in
the scenes and I thought the gradual development and conclusion of the
plot was perfect. It made it more realistic than having everything
happen within hours or days when we all know that real life is never
that accommodating, especially when it comes to crime scene
investigations.
I’m rating this story a 4 instead of a 5 for two reasons: 1) the
technical jargon going way over my head and 2) the ending. I think it
maybe ended a little abruptly, but I’m undecided of whether this is a
good or a bad thing. At the moment it’s a bad thing, because I can’t go
straight into the next book, which I think is the point of the cut off.

Original-o-Meter: (9): I did not see any of this coming!I really enjoyed this story. Having absolutely no experience of
Amsterdam at all, I enjoyed getting really vivid descriptions of
locations throughout the story. It wasn’t overly done or done too often
and it let me really set the scene for the characters. I also love the
little bit at the back of the book, letting us know what locations are
pure imagination, like the amazing Roustabout. I’m a big fan of Jazz, so
I was really pleased to have little touches of it creeping into the
story every now and then. I like to think that me and Bram would get on
really well. I also happen to have a really morbid fascination with
murder, crime, crime scenes and forensics so I would have no problem
chatting to Katla either.

Overall, I loved the focus on Katla and
Bram, even when they weren’t directly in the scenes and I thought the
gradual development and conclusion of the plot was perfect. It made it
more realistic than having everything happen within hours or days when
we all know that real life is never that accommodating, especially when
it comes to crime scene investigations.

Thrill-o-Meter: (9): Okay seriously now, I'm exhausted.Very action packed, very highly detailed and intricate action scenes
that were easy to follow and entertaining to read.
The story started with a fast, great hook that kept me interested. I
loved how we were left in limbo at points of the story to jump from
Katla’s perspective to Deborah or Simon’s. I love when we’re left on a
cliffhanger waiting to find out what’s going to happen to our favourite
characters while we see what’s going on elsewhere. I think the use of
the FBI and DEA was a genius touch. It gave me – the reader – the
feeling of being ‘in’ on the secret of what had really happened and
waiting to see if the FBI or DEA would cotton on or not, and how.

Readabil-o-Meter: (8): Clean, concise, and not many big words.
I really enjoyed this story. But let me start off by pointing out the
one or two things that didn’t work for me. They are all because of
personal preference. First off, we deal with the FBI, DEA, a hired
killer and some experts in this book, so a lot of the ‘official’ stuff
goes over my head. For example, the DEA/FBI talk, the martial arts moves
and the technical terms are just pretty words to me, so I had to let my
imagination do the rest – not really a problem, but something I thought
I should point out. Also, I’m not a big fan of having accents written
out. I had to read a few bits of dialogue over twice to figure out the
real meaning.

Immerse-o-Meter: (8): I totally stayed up way passed our bedtime reading this.There isn’t much I can say about this book without going into detail
about the plot and giving it all away, but I will say that it’s the
first book I’ve read with an assassin as the main character and the
first where the female lead is not weak, teary, vulnerable or
scatterbrained. In fact, if you put together a list of words to describe
our main character Katla, then you’re looking more into the realm of :
calculated, objective, precise, clear-headed and ruthless. A unique
story with a realistic plot and MC, and a relatable female MC with some
kick-ass action moves.

Reprobate was a very interesting read! I very much enjoyed Katla –
anyone who can also live up to the name Loki is A-OK in my book. Kourou
was also a very interesting aspect that helped bring the overall story
to life! He’s the macaw that deserves his own character sheet in the
book.Oddly enough the stone cold killer is very sympathetic. I can admire
her dedication and work ethic certainly. But she breaks the cardinal
rule – don’t fall in love! I enjoyed the cat and mouse romance of Bram
and Katla, there relationship really did seem to unfold as naturally as
possible in this type of situation. He was a little easy to go along
with her line of work not being a problem. I might be a little more
cautious than that. What would the break up look like?The intrigue and double-crossing was absolutely satisfying and even
though there were some slow parts to the book it is well worth the read.
I’m invested in the characters and where they are headed. I want to
know more about where the road of life will bring them.Halm did a wonderful job, his writing style is primarily very
pleasing. I recommend this book to folks who enjoy European intrigue
stories with a heavy focus on legal procedural type books. If you are an
American reader, just don’t get bogged down in the pronunciation of the
names of places and some people. You’ll enjoy the story much better if
you don’t.

Off the path of fantasy, I just finished Reprobate by Martyn V. Halm. This is your crime-spy-thriller with the female assassin protagonist, Katla. I hear you yawning already. Sure, it’s been done plenty of times, but I like what Halm is doing with it. There’s a romantic story going on in the background, but it’s handled with an almost practical air as the heroine seems to lack the sentimentality that often comes with a romance in these kinds of books. She’s tough, practical, and determined. In a lot of ways she reminds me of John Sandford’s character, Clara, who managed to be a female assassin without being devalued to being female-who-had-one-assassin-scene. Interesting, Katla’s love interest of the book is blind, and has an obvious military background I guess will be explored in the next books. He seems quick to accept what she is, and in some ways makes it a little unreal. However, there’s a Zatoichiness about him which may provide the reasons for his taking her killing methods with aplomb and even, albeit slightly reluctantly, assisting her. Not much happened in this novel, but it acted as a great set-up for the character, so I’ll definitely check out the next ones. I don’t mind a bit of this kind of thing between my fantasy novels.

If you like a kick-ass heroine, multi-talented and a non-judgmental main character, Reprobate is the book for you.

Reprobate has a great start, it'll hook and drag you into the story whether you want it or not.

Katla is an assassin and she is a damn awesome one at that. In fact, she's like the Assassin Creed guy + The HitMan guy all in one.

I love how Martyn introduces the character in the story. Not only that, each and every character has a certain quality about them that I can't get enough. It is represented through different points of views at different times and it all merges in the end with the crossing of paths with one another. It is also something like the 'Vantage Point'.

This is also my first time in reading a novel of such storyline. Reprobate is unique and each character compliments one another.

I just want to gush at Katla's abilities. She's just so awesome! The whole storyline has that quality of a TV Series but if you think that's boring...well, it's your loss. :D I love all the parts where there's action, shooting and killing in it. I love how each and every detail of the kill is being described. It made me feel like I'm actually learning something valuable in the book, not that I WANT to kill someone. It's just knowledge to me.

I believe this book is awesome enough to be in my favourite books list.

Boundless suspense that will keep you hooked till the end. This was an excellent story all around. You can tell from the quality of the work that the author has poured extensive time and effort into writing this novel.

Martyn V. Halm does an outstanding job at grabbing your attention from the very beginning, when Katla Sieltjes is torturing an antique store owner, whom she eventually kills. True to herself, Katla always gets the job done. However, this time she’s interrupted by a blind musician called Bram, who stumbles into her crime scene. Governed by her own personal feelings, Katla decides to let him live. Their partnership proves how two people with nothing in common could work so well together. Bram is a great contagonist. He might be blind, but very much in tune with the world around him. His character rings true, and his relationship with Katla shows a realistic rapport, which I found very intriguing. The MCs have great chemistry together, which shows how much work has gone into their development. The fascinating factor about Katla’s character is that she’s not your typical psychopath. She’s mainly motivated by the level of mastery she applies toward her work. She’s a strong ruthless woman, who knows her way around a push dagger. But, she also has a skating Macaw, whom she loves. Yeah, you heard that right. This funny bird on wheels chases after his treats, and once in a while, he’ll greet her with, “happy?” I think I read those parts like 3 or 4 times, just because that bird cracked me up. The story does have POV switches that I didn’t much care for in this particular case, because I just wanted to be with Katla and Bram all the time. We also follow DEA agent Deborah who is sent to Amsterdam to help IPOL bust a local gang heavily involved in narcotics. While going after her own goals, Katla gets tangled up in the actual sting. Here the story picks up an even faster pace as Martyn V. Halm walks us through her hits. One caveat that muddled down the entire novel was the author’s excessive description of every little tedious detail. Even when Katla was hurt at one point, and she went to the bathroom, we were informed that she wiped when she was done. TMI? Perhaps. However, his meticulousness does paint an extremely vivid picture in your head. It served well in most parts of the story. You could visualize just about everything. I live in the Netherlands, and I don’t think I could have gotten a clearer image of Amsterdam and its vibe as well as I did from reading Reprobate. If you’re impatient, you will want to skim through to the parts to where something is actually happening. Throughout the novel you will realize that the author does know his subjects intimately, and a great deal of research has gone into the novel. For those of you who enjoy learning new things, you will love picking up on everything the author knows about weaponry and linguistics. There were times when it got a little overwhelming, especially since there are many languages and cultural references, but because the main plot is so interesting and because the characters have been so thoroughly developed, one can easily cope with the information. Mind you, it was not an informational dump by any means. Just a little too much variety, I’d say.The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a rich reading experience. Everything from action-packed assassination techniques to cultural experiences to a sizzling hot romance between this femme fatale and her strong, yet delicate lover. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

A cold-blooded, heartless, psychopathic assassin is loose on the streets of Amsterdam leaving bodies behind in the pursuit of fulfilling contracts…and we love her. Reprobate – A Katla Novel opens with Katla Sieltjes, being surprised by an intruder at her most recent contract. For some reason, unknown even to her, she allows the witness to live. Throughout the rest of the novel her fascination for the blind musician turns into a developing relationship. She is then hired to perform, shall we say, a removal that is intended to foil the CIA’s latest endeavor in the area. What should have been a simple, clean hit turns into a blood bath and an injured, but incensed Katla begins the search to find whomever it was that betrayed her. Author Martyn V. Halm has written an authentic feeling novel set in the Netherlands. It comes complete with a glossary to help the reader with words and phrases that are used to retain that authenticity. His knowledge of the human anatomy and ability to portray fights, killing methods and confrontational body language cause the reader a visceral response. The settings, circumstances and situations are intriguing and believable. The literal descriptions of each murder are complete to the point of feeling like you are there watching it unfold…without becoming grotesque or obscene. Well done Martyn. He apparently possesses a strong knowledge of what is required for the assassin to remain undetected and private. This is either from research, imagination or experience. Whichever it is, it is exciting to read. There is a nice separation of voices for each of the unique and eclectic mix of characters. The story arc brought questions to mind as I read – questions that I was pleased to see answered as the plot unfolded; again, showing the depth of research and accuracy of Halm’s work. There was very little in the way of typos and/or formatting issues. I was curious about the repetitive use of Katla Sieltjes’ name to begin chapters, but certainly there was nothing to detract from the continuous flow of the story. I’m not often prompted to give 5 stars, but I am in this case For anyone who enjoys Crime Fiction, the Katla Series is a series to put on your reading bucket list. For those who normally don’t read Crime Fiction, this would be a good place to start.

Reprobate is a thriller, one of a series (Amsterdam Assassin) concerning Katla Sieltjes, a female murderer for hire working under the name Loki. In this incarnation, Katla is hired by some one unknown of a cloud of people and groups in the Dutch drug trade, including the suppliers and their enforcers, and agents of several different European and American police forces. Heroin has been discovered on a NATO base, and the quality of it points to the Dutch as middlemen. (If you think it implausible that Loki would not know who hired her, read the book. Loki’s tradecraft is impeccable, and puts in the shade the ludicrous precautions taken by so many other fictional people who work undercover.) The set-up takes about a quarter of the book, as there are a great many people and loyalties for Halm to create. This is handled systematically in a series of lucid chapters. The second quarter of the book concerns the hit itself. This is not entirely successful, a mixed outcome which provides the source for the suspense of the second half, for strangely we find ourselves rooting for Katla. Our partisanship is complicated by the presence of a love interest, a blind man, Bram Merleyn. Bram is an entirely admirable character. He is urbane, centered and at ease with his blindness, athletic, and knowledgeable about a great many things including jazz and Japanese. The friendship between these two very opposite people is quite believable in Halm’s hands and offers a number of outcomes, enhancing the story’s suspense. More of the plot I will not reveal. The author has a detailed knowledge of Amsterdam, as he should since he lives there. He also knows a lot about motorcycles (he owns at least one), scooters, cars, and bicycles. Other matters — guns and knives, Japanese language and food, jazz, cops, autopsies, drug cartels, blindness, saxophones, expensive hotels, regulations, and so forth — can be acquired by research, and Halm has been assiduous and meticulous. Rather too much so, in some cases, with brand and model names and geographic details. It’s a tic, but in many cases it is hard to see what changes might be made without harm to the authenticity of the narrative. Indeed, the liking for these details brings many characters and actions to life. When Katla (in her Loki persona) gets shot in the leg (I will say only so much) the description of the physical consequences is immediately believable.Reprobate is one of those suspense stories in which the reader finds himself on the side of a character he wouldn’t ordinarily. Ordinarily, we would not like to increase the world’s stock of assassins. This is Bram’s problem. An ordinary thriller seeks only to engage us in the chase. A more ambitious tale must engage our loyalties and morally re-interpret the actions of its characters. Many such stories are built on the detective formula. The hero of a suspense story must, for her own protection, sort out the facts and discover the nature of the threat. The search for truth is always admirable, and gives a story like Reprobate a built-in advantage if the author is intelligent enough to use it. Halm is that, but he also has the brass (and self-confidence) not to let matters rest there. The threat to Katla comes not entirely from out-and-out baddies but from some police agents who we have also come to like, particularly two women. So as the thriller proceeds, the reader finds himself in a quandary. This is also Bram’s quandary, and Bram is the moral ground on which the reader will interrogate his own morality. Being (in part) a search for truth, Reprobate is at first a detective story, not a thriller. We are presented with a crime (albeit remotely, the reported heroin fatality) and a number of applicants for the position of crimesolver. This situation is rapidly overborne. Loki is hired by someone who wants to cover up matters and protect the drug trade. But when the hit goes bad the original drug crime becomes irrelevant. Loki’s problem is to identify the villain, as any detective would — that is, the person behind her own attempted assassination — but she is also working against competing detectives who want to know as well her own identity. Part of the suspense of this clever story is how the author will resolve it without either disappointing our loyalties or damaging our respect for the truth. In the classic period of Holmes and Poirot, the knowledge needed to solve the crime was acquired by observation and reasoning. As the story-line shifted toward the hard-boiled the method shifted to interrogation and confession. At the same time the impetus for the story evolved away from the detective who works in defense of society, to one who works to protect a few people from a corrupt society, to one who works to protect himself. The hero of a thriller works against a society which is set against him not for passing convenience, as in the hardboiled novel, but on principle. The hero of a thriller is a threat to a whole social order. And so the stage is set for a story in which detection is in service to quashing both the criminals and what they stand for and an action hero can be a cold-blooded killer. The case here is stark. Katla may be working for the wrong people, but she is targeting some people who are worse. She is good at her job, and we tend to root for such people as we do for superheroes. Finally, she has shown us a soft side in her relationship with Bram and in a number of small kindnesses to people she comes across. So the first half of the book resembles a quest story with a twist. It is not until the second half, after Katla is injured, disabled, and under a threat from which her formidable combat skills cannot save her, that the book becomes an out-and-out thriller. By this time we have come to like Katla and are in the habit of rooting for her. This, of course, can be carried only so far. This is not a hermetic, intellectual literary novel. It’s a thriller, we came aboard to be thrilled, and so we are. Loki, for those who don’t know, is a Norse god of considerable importance in the Edda. In Wagner’s Das Rheingold he is the trickster who helps Wotan to get the Ring from Alberich, something of a comedown from his many powers and shape-shifting talents in the older mythology. Our Loki belongs to the Edda lineage. Charles Brownson